INPUT DEVICE WITH MULTIPLE TOUCH-SENSITIVE ZONES

• US 20130120259A1
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Original Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Inventors: Piot, Julien, Merminod, Baptiste, Dayer, Christophe, White, Niall, Harvey, Stephen, Fortin, Frederic, Meisser, Mathieu, Ramond, Nicolas, Mathis, Olivier, Croisonnier, Regis
• Granted Patent: US 9,367,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0332 Ergonomic shaped mouse adjustable to suit one of both hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0333 Ergonomic shaped mouse for one hand
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0334 Ergonomic shaped mouse for vertical grip, whereby the hand controlling the mouse is resting or gripping it with an attitude almost vertical with respect of the working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03541 Mouse/trackball convertible devices, in which the same ball is used to track the 2D relative movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An input device includes a housing for supporting a user'"'"'s hand and a displacement sensor, mounted in the housing, for providing a displacement signal. The input device also includes a first portion of the housing operable to receive a first digit of the user and a first solid-state touch sensor disposed in the first portion and operable to detect movement of the first digit along the first portion. The input device further includes a second portion on the housing operable to receive a second digit of the user and a second solid-state touch sensor disposed in the second portion and operable to detect movement of the second digit along the second portion.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a housing for supporting a user'"'"'s hand;

a displacement sensor, mounted in the housing, for providing a displacement signal;

a first portion of the housing operable to receive a first digit of the user;

a first solid-state touch sensor disposed in the first portion and operable to detect movement of the first digit along the first portion;

a second portion on the housing operable to receive a second digit of the user; and

a second solid-state touch sensor disposed in the second portion and operable to detect movement of the second digit along the second portion.

2. The input device of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first solid-state touch sensor and the second solid-state touch sensor comprise a two-dimensional touch pad.

3. The input device of claim 1 wherein the first solid-state touch sensor and the second solid-state touch sensor are electrically connected to a single controller.

4. The input device of claim 1 wherein the first portion is characterized by a curvature in at least one dimension and the first solid-state touch sensor is adjacent a thumb of the user during operation.

5. The input device of claim 4 wherein the first portion has curvature in a second dimension substantially orthogonal to the at least one dimension.

6. The input device of claim 5 wherein the first solid-state touch sensor is operable to detect circular motion of the thumb of the user during operation.

7. The input device of claim 1 wherein the second portion is characterized by a curvature in at least one dimension and the second solid-state touch sensor is adjacent a finger of the user during operation.

8. The input device of claim 7 wherein the curvature in the at least one dimension is convex and the second solid-state touch sensor comprises a linear sensor.

9. The input device of claim 1 wherein the displacement sensor comprises an optical sensor.

10. An input device comprising:

a housing for supporting a user'"'"'s hand;

a displacement sensor, mounted in the housing, for providing a displacement signal;

a first portion of the housing including a first surface and operable to receive a first digit of the user;

a first solid-state touch sensor disposed in the first portion and operable to detect movement of the first digit along the first portion;

a second portion on the housing including a second surface and operable to receive a second digit of the user, wherein the first surface and the second surface are not coplanar; and

a second solid-state touch sensor disposed in the second portion and operable to detect movement of the second digit along the second portion.

11. The input device of claim 10 wherein the first surface is defined by a first curvature having a finite radius and the second surface is defined by a second curvature having a finite radius.

12. The input device of claim 10 wherein the first surface lies in a first plane and the second surface lies in a second plane that is not coplanar with the first plane.

13. The input device of claim 12 wherein the first plane is oriented at a first angle with respect to a center of the input device and the second plane is oriented at a second angle with respect to the center of the input device, the second angle having a sign opposite to the first angle.

14. The input device of claim 10 wherein at least one of the first solid-state touch sensor and the second solid-state touch sensor comprise a two-dimensional touch pad.

15. The input device of claim 10 wherein the first solid-state touch sensor and the second solid-state touch sensor are electrically connected to a single controller.

16. The input device of claim 10 wherein the first surface is characterized by a curvature in at least one dimension and the first solid-state touch sensor is adjacent a thumb of the user during operation.

17. The input device of claim 16 wherein the first surface has curvature in a second dimension substantially orthogonal to the at least one dimension.

18. The input device of claim 10 wherein the second surface is characterized by a curvature in at least one dimension and the second solid-state touch sensor is adjacent a finger of the user during operation.

19. The input device of claim 18 wherein the curvature in the at least one dimension is convex and the second solid-state touch sensor comprises a linear sensor.

20. The input device of claim 10 wherein the first surface and the second surface are disposed at differing distances from a bottom portion of the housing.

21. A device comprising:

a housing adapted to support a user'"'"'s hand;

a sensor operable to monitor motion of the housing in at least two dimensions;

a first touch sensor disposed in the housing and adjacent a first digit of the user'"'"'s hand during operation; and

a second touch sensor disposed in the housing and adjacent a second digit of the user'"'"'s hand during operation.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the first touch sensor comprises a two-dimensional touch sensor and the first digit comprises the user'"'"'s thumb.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein the first touch sensor comprises a circular sensor.

24. The device of claim 21 wherein the second touch sensor comprises a two-dimensional touch sensor and the second digit comprises the user'"'"'s index finger.

25. The device of claim 24 further comprising a third touch sensor disposed in the housing and adjacent a third digit of the user'"'"'s hand during operation, wherein the third touch sensor comprises a two-dimensional touch sensor and the third digit comprises the user'"'"'s middle finger.

26. The device of claim 21 further comprising a controller electrically connected to the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor and operable to:

provide common drive signals to the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor; and

receive independent feedback signals from the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of computer-readable instructions tangibly embodied on the computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed by a data processor, provide for operation of an input device, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions that cause the data processor to place the input device in a passive mode of operation;

instructions that cause the data processor to monitor a displacement sensor of the input device to provide a motion value;

instructions that cause the data processor to monitor a plurality of touch pads of the input device to provide a plurality of touch values;

instructions that cause the data processor to monitor a proximity sensor of the input device to provide a proximity value;

instructions that cause the data processor to determine an increase in the proximity value; and

instructions that cause the data processor to place the input device in an active mode of operation.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27 wherein the increase in the proximity value is associated with motion of at least a portion of a user'"'"'s hand toward the input device.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27 wherein a plurality of drive lines are associated with the multiple touch pads, wherein the plurality of drive lines are operable to provide input signals to the proximity sensor.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 29 wherein placing the input device in a passive mode of operation comprises placing the plurality of drive lines into a high impedance mode.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27 wherein the passive mode of operation is characterized by a first frame rate and the active mode of operation is characterized by a second frame rate higher than the first frame rate.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27 further comprising, in the active mode of operation:

determining that the motion value is substantially zero;

determining that at least one of the plurality of touch values is non-zero; and

thereafter, transmitting a command associated with the at least one of the plurality of touch values.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27 further comprising, in the active mode of operation:

determining that the motion value is non-zero;

determining that at least one of the plurality of touch values is non-zero; and

thereafter, transmitting a displacement command and a cursor movement command associated with the at least one of the plurality of touch values.